Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Everything Really is For the Best: A Short Story

Rachel
gave the woman sitting next to her an annoyed glance. Taking in her flowing
skirt, intricate head covering, and serene smile Rachel decided to ignore her
seatmate but that wasn’t possible.

“The
bus isn’t going to get there any faster no matter how many times you look at
your watch,” the woman told her.

Rachel
nodded impatiently, adjusted her hat, and addressed the other passengers.

“What’s the problem? Is there an accident or what?”

“The
light’s out at the intersection,” one man standing in the aisle informed her.
“We should get past it soon.”

They
didn’t, though. Apparently the light was out because of an accident. It looked
like just a little fender-bender but with the police car, repair truck, and
smashed cars Rachel knew it would be a while before she reached home. She
sighed and squirmed willing the bus to go.

“Calm
down,” the busybody next to her instructed. “Whatever you have to do can get
done later.”

Exasperated
Rachel glared at the woman. “It just so happens I have a very important phone
call to make before my children come home and I don’t want to make it on the
bus.”

“I’m
sure that’s upsetting,” the woman smiled. “You need to remember, though, that
HaShem has a plan and everything’s for the best.”

“Sorry,
dear.” The woman smiled again and turned her attention to the pamphlet of
inspirational verses in her lap.

Not
to be outdone Rachel took out her small book of psalms, but as much as she
tried, she couldn’t concentrate on the words. Finally, finally the bus began
moving. It crawled through the intersection, picked up speed, and three stops
later deposited her a half a block from her apartment. Another glance at her
watch told her she had at least twenty minutes before her first child would
arrive. Maybe she’d really be able to make the phone call. Elated she took out
her key as she scampered up the stairs. Only she didn’t need her key since the
front door was ajar.

“Dovid,”
she called as she entered her home.

There
was no answer.

“Dovid?”
She repeated a little louder.

There
was perfect quiet. Rachel’s heart began to hammer. Something wasn’t right. She
grabbed the broom that had been left next to the door.

Once
more she tried her husband’s name. This time she yelled it.

Gingerly
she moved into the kitchen and gasped. The contents of the freezer were spilled
all over the floor. Instinctively she knelt ready to clean up the chaos and
then stopped. The food hadn’t just fallen out of her freezer. Someone had been
there and it wasn’t Dovid and her kids. Maybe he was still there? She had to get out of the apartment! Broom
still in hand she fled from the kitchen, out her door, down the hall, and
banged on her neighbor’s entrance.

Thankfully
Sharon was home.

“Rachel,
you’re white as a ghost!”

“Someone
broke into our apartment!”

“Sit
down,” Sharon was already pouring her a glass of juice. “I’ll call the police.”

It
took them fifteen minutes to arrive. Once again Rachel was impatiently checking
her watch every few seconds.

Rachel
had just finished thanking her neighbor when she heard footsteps on the stairs.
Two policemen had come. The older one stood at the entrance with her asking
question after question while the younger one entered the apartment.

“Lady,”
the younger one finally called out. “No one’s here. You can come on in.”

The
three of them made a full tour of the apartment. The children’s room was fine.
Her bureau in the bedroom was a disaster, though, with contents strewn all over
the beds. Their silver plated candlesticks and wine cup had been tossed on the
living room floor.

“It
looks like there were two of them,” the younger policeman said. “They came in
through there.” He pointed to the patio door that had been jimmied and dirty
footsteps on the floor. “These are fresh. They couldn’t have left too long
ago.”

He
pulled out his walkie-talkie and called for back-up. “I’ll see if I can find
them,” he called over his shoulder as he sprinted out the door. “Dan, finish up
the paperwork.”

Dan
nodded. “I bet they were angry they couldn’t find anything. Lady, it’s a good
thing you didn’t come home when they were here.”

Rachel
blanched at his words. “I was supposed to be home,” she said in a small voice.
“But the bus was stuck in traffic.”

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Aim of Blog

Emunah, faith in God, does not mean believing only good things will happen; it means believing that whatever God does is for the best. I wrote these words at a time when drive-by shootings and suicide bombers had become almost weekly, if not daily, tragedies. Now, more than ten years later, the words are no less true. Whatever HaShem does is for the best. It is my hope to post articles, advice, and homey stories everyweekwhich will reinforce this fact. And now, a special thanks to:

Batya Medad, my neighbor and experienced blogger. Without her I would never have been able to set up

About Me

Born in Wichita, Kansas, I became a Baalat Teshuva, newly religious, in Phoenix, Arizona while attending ASU. After twelve years of marriage my husband and I made Aliyah with five children and settled in Shilo in the heart of Israel. Two more children joined the family as have daughters-in-law, sons-in-law, and grandchildren, Baruch HaShem. My favorite past times are learning, sewing, hiking, reading, cooking, baking, enjoying my family and friends, and, of course, writing. My first novel, Sondra’s Search, was published in 2007 and I am working on the sequel.